Power-operated window regulator



Dec. 5, 1944.

POWER OPERATED WINDOW REGULATOR Fil ed Feb. 2. 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS 3 [award 1.. flake/mall 6166/) 1 [ram rrrroliwsy 1944- E. L. ACKERMAN ETAL 2,364,181

POWER OPERATED WINDOW REGULATOR Filed Feb. 21 1942 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 5, 1944.

E. L. ACKERMAN ET POWER OPERATED WINDOW REGULATOR Filed Feb. 2, 1942 3- Shegts-Sheet 3 /if E i I INVENTOR.

Patented Dec. 5, 1944 POWER-OPERATED WINDOW REGULATOR Edward L. Ackerman and Albert Crump, Detroit, Mich., assignors. to Ackerman-Blaesser- Fezzey, Inc., Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application February 2, 1942, Serial No. 429,221

1 Claim. (01. 268-425).

This invention relates. to vacuum controlled window regulators for varying. the position .of a glass or sash in respect to a window opening in the body of an automotive vehicle or other inclosure having spaced walls at one side of the window opening providing a sash pocket in which the regulator mechanism 1 is mounted.

The principal feature of the invention is involved in the arrangement of parts of the regu lator mechanism including an arm, a piston and a cylinder therefor and ameans controllable by i the operator to subject one or the other side of the piston to a reduced pressure condition while the respective opposite side of the piston is subjected to atmospheric pressure.

The invention further involves various features' of construction and arrangement of parts adapting the same to be released from vacuum control and permit manual movement of the glass or sash. i i

These and other features and objects of the invention are hereinaftermore fully described and claimed and the preferred form of a window regulator embodying our invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the regulator parts adapting the same for actuation by influence of variation'in pressure in a cylinder and showing the window in the closed position.

Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the window regulator and parts in position assumed when the window is in open position.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view of the regulator mechanism taken online 4 4 of Fig.3.

l5 and IBsecured to a frame piece carrying theglassl8. N p .The slide. 5 has a link l9, pivoted at one end to the pin 8 carried by the slide and at the opposite end to an arm which extends along the outer faceof theplate 2. The arm 20 is pivoted on a-pin 2|. extending through the base plate and the regulator arm 22 isattached thereto. The plate 2 has a recess 23 in itsinner face and in the recess is a coiled counterbalancmg spring25 having the outer end engaging the lugfixed to the plate and the inner end secured to the pin 2 I.

The arms 2|] and 22 are normall locked together to turn as a unit on the axis of the pin 2| from the position shown in Fig. 1 wherein the window is in the raised position to the position shown in Fig. 2 wherein the window is pivoted at 21 to the arm2ll and havinga notch in the oppositecend to engage over a pin 28 secured to the lever 22.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the regulator on e an enlarged scale taken on line"5--5 of Fig. 1.

The apparatus is shown in theldrawings in association withthe window for raising or lowering the glass in respect to an opening in the wall of an automobile body or other structure having a sash pocket intoand from which the glass is movable to open or close the window opening and in which the regulator mechanism is mounted on the inner wall I of the sash pocket. 7

This regulator mechanism comprises a base plate 2 attached as by screws 3 tothe said inner wall within the sash recess as shown in Fig. 3. As shown more clearly in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 the plate is provided with a channel 4 in which is mount ed a vertically reciprocable slide 5. To the upper For operation of the regulator a cylinder 29 is arm 22. Reciprocation of the piston in the cylinder in one direction or the other will raise or lower the sash or glass depending: upon'the. direction of movement of the piston. The piston is motivated by submitting one side or the other of the piston within the. cylinder 29 to a reduced pressure condition while therespective opposite side is open to atmosphere. For this purpose we. provide a valve .mecha nism shown in Fig. 1 which comprises a casing 3| having an opening to atmosphere 32 at one end and 33. at'the other end. Within the casing 3| is a slidable valveimember 34, the opposite ends of which are recessed to receive coiled springs 35 and36 which are of substantially equal it moved. The recess 31 is connected with apparatus'tending to exhaust airby means of a conduit 39. When used with an automotive vehicle the conduit 39 is connected'with the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine.

There is a conduit All leading from one end of the cylinder 29 and opening to the valve casing and also a conduit Mppening to the opposite end of. the cylinder and to the casing 3| on the opposite side of the conduit 39. leading to the intake manifold. By moving the valve 34 downwardly from the position shown, the -conduit 40 is placed in communication with the conduit 39 through the recess 31 in the valve body. This tends to exhaust air from the cylinder on one side of the piston while the opposite side of the cylinder is open to atmosphere through the conduit 4| and upper side of the valve casing (the valve then being in down position).

Under this condition the piston is caused to move to the left of the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2 and lowers the window through the consequent movement of the arms 22 and 20 as will be readily understood. With the parts in position shown in Fig. 2 reversing the position of the valve member 34 will return the regulator parts to the position shown in Fig. '1 andQdepending upon the period of time the valve member 34 is held in one position or the other, determines the extent of travel of the glass or sash toward or from open position, the glass being guided in its movement by the channels dz and 43 which extend downwardly in the sash recess and opposite edges of the window opening in the vehicle body as is usual.

In the event it is desired to release the window sash or glass from the power apparatus to permit manual control thereof it is necessary to release the latch 26 from the pin 28. This is accomplished by means more clearly shown in Fig. which consists of a housing 44 mounted on the plate 2 secured to the inner face of the inner spring pressed outwardly by the coiled spring 41. The inner end of the shaftdfi engages a pivoted lever 48 of an L-shaped form in elevation and the heel of which engages the inturned edge 49 of a bar 50 slidably supported on the outer face of the plate 21 as by the headed pins 5| and 52.

The bar 50 is under tension of a spring 53 shown more clearly in Fig. 2, which tends to slide the bar 5!] downwardly from, the 'position shown in Fig. 5. The bar it has a notch in its lower end to receive a lug 54 of a pivoted latch 55 having an outturned end 56 and, asmore clearly shown in Fig. 5, engages the lower arcuate edge of the latch member 26. By pushing on the knob 45, the lever 48 turns to the position shown in Fig. 5 thereby turning the latch 55 on its pivot and raises the latch 26 from engagement with the pin 28 thereby releasing the regulator from actuation by the power apparatus attached to the arm 22. Under this condition the window 'may be manually raised or'loweredrby force applied to the glass or sash. This manual operation is provided for to enable the windows to be moved toward open or closed position in the event the power apparatus becomes inoperative for any reason. The latch member 26 is spring pressed to engagement with the pin 23 by means of a spring 51 on the rod like end ofithe lever 58 which extends through a lug 59 attached to the arm 22. The opposite end of the lever 58 is pivoted to the latch member at 6B and the latch is thus normally held under spring pressure in engagement with the pin 28 which holds the arms 20 and 2| in the desired relationship for power operation.

Under normal conditions the window will be raised or lowered by shifting the valve member 34 in one direction or the other in its casing 3! to cause corresponding movement of the piston 30 in the cylinder 29 to turn the arms 20 and 22 as a unit to thereby move the slide 5 and raise or lower the glass l8 in respect to the window opening in the body of the inclosure;

While we have described the mechanism as under control of a vacuum produced in the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, the invention is not restricted to the particular vacuum producing means described as the window regulator mechanism may be readily used in rooms of buildings and inclosures of various types having window openings and any character of apparatus productive of desired reduced pressure condition in the cylinder 29 may be utilized. Whatever thecharacter of structure with which our improved window regulator mechanism may be used, whether an automobile body or other inclosure having a sash pocket, the structural relation and arrangement of the parts of the sash operating mechanism will remain the same.-

From the foregoing description it is believed evident that the parts arranged and mounted as described are comparatively simple and inexpensive in character and to a major extent are formed from sheet metal stampings not requiring expensive machining operations and that the parts may'all be mounted upon the plate 2 which in turn is mounted on the outer face of the inner wall of the sash pocket while the cylinder is mounted in the sash pocket below the lowermost point of travel of the glass or sash and, while the outer wall of the sash pocket may become mutilated or bent as by accident, the mechanism being mounted on the inner wall is at such distance from the outer wall that only a major accident would tend to render the regulator mechanism inoperative.

. Having thus fully described our invention, its utility and mode of operation, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In mechanism for raising or lowering a glass or sash in respect to a window opening in the latch element pivotally connected at one end with the glass operating arm and having a notch, a pin on the second arm engageable in the said notch when the arms are in desired angular relationship, a power element connected with the second of said arms controllable at will to turn the arms as a unit when the latch element is in engagement with the pin, and means for releasing the latch element from the pin to free the glass operating arm to turn independently of the arm connected with the power element, said means comprising a latch pivotally supported by the plate and having an end in slidable contact with the first named latch, spring means for holding the first named latch in locked relationship with its pin, and manually operable means forturning the said second latch on its pivot to thereby release the first named latch and freeing the arm connected with the slidable' member from the power apparatus.

EDWARD L. ACKERMAN. ALBERT v. CRUMP. 

